1st Edition

Power, Voice and Subjectivity in Literature for Young Readers

By Maria Nikolajeva Copyright 2010
232 Pages
by Routledge

232 Pages
by Routledge

232 Pages
by Routledge

This book considers one of the most controversial aspects of children’s and young adult literature: its use as an instrument of power. Children in contemporary Western society are oppressed and powerless, yet they are allowed, in fiction written by adults for the enlightenment and enjoyment of children, to become strong, brave, rich, powerful, and independent -- on certain conditions and for... Read more

Series Editor’s Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction: Why Does Pippi Sleep with Her Feet on the Pillow? 1: Harry Potter and the Secrets of Children’s Literature 2: Othering the Sense: Language and (Mis)communication 3: Othering the Genre: Fantasy and Realism 4: Othering the Child: George MacDonald’s Fairy Tales 5: Othering the Future: Stereotypes of Dystopia 6: Othering the Setting: Orientalism and Robinsonade 7: Othering Gender: New Masculinities, New Femininities 8: Othering Voice: Crossvocalization and Performance 9: Othering Ideology: Literature in Society’s Service 10: Othering the Species: The (Ab)use of Animals 11: Othering the Visual: Power Structures in Picturebooks 12: Othering the Reader: Identification Fallacy Conclusion: The Adult’s Self-Denial Bibliography Index

Biography

Maria Nikolajeva is a Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge, UK. She is the recipient of the international Grimm Award for lifetime achievements in children’s literature research.

"This is a significant, provocative study of children's textual 'oppression.'" Recommended."
--Choice

"Essential reading for anyone who is or would be a scholar of children's literature."
--Children's Literature Association Quarterly